Life Without Derek
by MermaidMidna
Summary: Did I really miss meatloaf and shampoo fights and arguing over pointless things? Or that leather jacket that he always wore, or the way he would smirk when I was yelling at him? Or messy hair, hockey games, and glares? Oh just shoot me.
1. I Wish

**AN: I tried to keep them as in character as I could. Please read and review! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Life With Derek does not belong to me!!!!!!**

I fought. With Derek. What else was knew?

It was one of those fights that left me feeling all guilty inside, even though I knew he could care less about what I had said. Or yelled, rather. I knew _he _wasn't feeling remorseful for his actions, but nevertheless, here I was, sulking in my bed, wishing I had never said half the things I said to him.

_"Hey Space-Case, you mind getting out of my room? I have work to do, unlike some people."_

_"Work!? More like calling five different girls for dates on Sunday night!"_

_"And your point? Oh wait, I get it. You're just jealous because you can't get any."_

_"God Derek, you're the most infuriating, ignorant, close-minded jerk I have ever met."_

_"You mean, besides Truman?"_

_"Der-ek! I wish to God you weren't my step-brother!"_

_"The feeling is mutual."_

_"I hate you!"_

I tossed and turned in bed, our fight playing over and over in my head. _I hate you._ It was just an impulsive thing to say. I guess I was just edgy because of all my recent relationship failures. Sam and I had no chemistry. Max was not the Prince Charming I made him out to be. And Truman was just… Truman. Ugh. But what I said was still unacceptable. _I hate you… I hate you… I hate you…_

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get up and take a walk to ease my troubled mind. I checked my alarm clock- 2 am. I would never get to sleep if I didn't distract myself. I made my way to the kitchen, wondering why I even cared about Derek's feelings. I knew for sure he didn't care about mine.

But then I remembered the look on his face as I stormed out of his room. He looked shocked and was it- hurt? Before I knew it, I was already in the kitchen. I grabbed an apple and made my way back to my room, pausing at Derek's door. Knowing him, he was probably still awake, listening to music or surfing the net. I clasped the door knob and entered cautiously, barely aware of what I was doing.

"Derek?" I said softly. Something moved in his bed in the darkness. "Sorry if I woke you up… I just wanted to say…"

The lump stirred and sat up, squinting in the darkness. "Edwin?" I asked, confused.

The lump screamed. "What are you doing in here?" he questioned.

"What are _you _doing in Derek's room?"

"What's going on?" George and Mom came running in, surprisingly fast coming from the basement. George turned the lights on.

"How'd you get here so fast?" I asked, blinking rapidly, my eyes adjusting to the light.

"Who's Derek?" said Edwin.

"We were only across the hall." said Mom.

"Derek: your brother, my stepbrother!" I looked around at everyone. They looked lost.

Marti marched into the room. "Smedwin, what's going on?" she inquired.

"Swedwin?" I looked at Marti. "What ever happened to Smerek?"

"Who's Smerek?" she said smartly, crawling up in Edwin's lap and hugging him. "What kind of name is that?"

"Yeah Casey, who _is _Smerek?" Lizzie asked, rubbing her eyes and entering the commotion.

"Derek." I tried to explain to confounded faces. "Smerek." They still looked bewildered. I tried again. "Triple D? D-dawg? Derika? Derek Venturi?!"

"You know, I _do_ think you mentioned a cute guy at your school named Derek, but isn't it a bit early to be accepting him into the family?" Mom smirked.

I looked around, horrified. Edwin and Marti stared at me like I was a lunatic. Lizzie rubbed her eyes again. Mom just smiled. And George… he looked horrified as well. What sort of terrible prank was this? No Derek? And then it hit me.

_I wish to God you weren't my step-brother! _

Oh no! I had wished Derek Venturi out of existence!


	2. Sick Joke

"Oh no. Oh no. No. No!" My head spun and held my stomach, ready for my dinner to come back up. How could I have wished Derek out of existence?! This had to be a joke, a sick joke. The eldest Venturi boy was probably hiding under his bed, trying not to crack up. In one swift move I thrust myself under the bed, throwing up the blankets and searching frantically for my step-brother. But no one was under there. He really was… gone. _Unless_… I ran around Derek's computer desk, looking for some sign of him.

"Casey, are you okay?" Lizzie walked over to me, placing a hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine. I'm just looking for Derek." I pushed Lizzie's hand aside and ran to the doorway, making my way past Mom and George. "Okay Derek! That was a good joke! I learned my lesson; you can come out now!" I yelled in the hallway, and then proceeded to make my way to the bathroom to search for him there.

Mom came rushing out, placing a hand over my mouth. "Casey, don't you think it's a little late at night to be playing imaginary friends with Marti?"

I broke away from her, frustrated. "I thought you, of all people, knew my limitations, Mom. I get it. I'll never tell Derek I hate him again. You can stop this practical joke." I paused, and then shouted down the hallway. "NOW!"

"Casey, there is no Derek." Mom said worriedly, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You probably just had a strange dream about some boy at school and now you're hallucinating. It's okay, sweetie. Just go back to bed."

I furrowed my brow. She was serious. Mom would never go that far into a joke _just _to teach me a lesson about fighting with Derek. I mean, we had fought before and she had never done anything _this _rash. Derek was really gone. And it was all my fault.

"Okay, Mom. I'll go to bed." I said, defeated, as I made my way back to my room. "S-sorry. Must have been a b-bad dream." Mom rubbed my back comfortingly and closed the door as soon as I was inside.

I waited until I couldn't hear her footsteps any longer and then I locked the door, collapsing on my bed and dissolving into sobs. I cried myself to sleep. I figured if this was a dream, or a nightmare, at least it would be over when I woke up…

But Derek wasn't there the next day, or Sunday either. I spent the whole weekend shut up in my room, doing my homework, or at least pretending to do it. I dreaded going to school on Monday knowing I wouldn't see Derek flirting with girls or chilling with Sam and Ralph in the hallway. Was I the only person in the whole world who knew who he was, or was he erased from everyone's minds just like the rest of my family? Or maybe he never existed in "this world" in the first place. A Derek free world…

Monday came quickly and I could barely get out of bed. I didn't bother putting on any make-up except for some lip-gloss. I wore sweatpants and a white polo shirt.

"Woah, Casey. What's up with the new look?" asked Emily as I opened my locker, almost slamming her in the face. Her eyes widened and she backed up a few paces.

"Sorry, Em. I'm just having a really off day." I dropped a few of my books on the floor. "Actually more like a really off week…"

"Alright, if you're okay then I'm gonna go talk to Evan."

Emily was gone before I could even give her the okay. I sighed, reaching for my math book on the ground when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Need help with that, Case?" I turned around to find to unmistakable brown eyes staring at me.


	3. What's a Rossler?

"Derek?" I asked, my voice squeaking. "Derek!" I squealed as he smiled. "Derek! Derek! Derek!" I bounced up and down and then gave him a huge hug, squeezing the guts out of him. I couldn't believe it! Derek was back! Not only was he back but he was actually returning my hug! When did that ever happen?!

Finally I stepped back, letting my happiness sink in. I didn't kill my step-brother after all! So that meant… he _did _play a joke on me!

"You jerk!" I said, hitting Derek on the arm as it registered in my brain. "Why did you play such a horrible trick on me?" He looked at me, bewildered. "Ha! Don't look like you have no clue what's going on, and don't think you can get away with this either! I mean, yeah, sure, I said I hated you but what you did to me was just cruel! I cried Derek. _Cried. _That's right, you heard me!"

Derek continued to stare at me as if there was nothing upstairs in that thick skull of his. "Casey, what did I-"

I cut him off. "What did you do? What did you do!? I don't know! Why don't you tell me, Derek Venturi!" I turned on my heel and stormed off, dropping some papers along the way. But I didn't look back. I held my head high, even as people were staring at me as if there were antlers growing out of my head. I made a mental note to check the mirror in the bathroom later, just in case there were.

Derek caught up to me, holding the papers I had dropped. "Casey, can we talk about this calmly?" he asked. "I don't understand. What the heck is a v_enturi?_"

I rounded on him and we almost ran into each other. "You mean you're still keeping up with this stupid prank? Gosh Derek, do you ever know when to give up?" I turned around and kept walking.

"You mean we're not talking anymore?" Derek asked.

"Were we ever?" I asked, turning my back to look at him. He looked… pitiful, an expression I had never seen Derek Venturi wear. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry." I said, hurrying back to him. "That's the second time I've… God, I'm a horrible person."

"No you're not." he said softly. "You're just… not yourself today. Did something bad happen at home?"

I laughed. "You mean, besides you disappearing from the face of the earth?"

"Casey, are you okay? You keep talking about things I don't understand."

"Since when does Derek Venturi ever care about _my_ feelings?" I smirked. I began walking slowly towards homeroom, already knowing that I was going to be late. Derek followed in suit.

"Why do you keep calling me Derek Venturi? I'm Derek Rossler. I'd hope you would know that by now." he said confusedly.

I stopped once again. Derek Rossler? What was he talking about? Was he still trying to pull a fast one on me?

"Okay then, _Rossler_, what are your parents' names?" I asked Derek, trying to stump him.

"Wanda and Kevin Rossler." he replied. "But I'm-" The bell rang, interrupting his sentence.

"Oh crud! Got to go to homeroom! Bye Derek! We will continue this discussion at lunch." I took off down the hall, breathing heavily. But there was no way I was going to homeroom. Oh no. I was headed for Paul's office.


	4. Paul's Help

"Paul!" I screeched, running into his office and slamming the door behind me. "We have a problem."

Paul jumped as the door slammed and he looked at me like I was crazy. Why was everyone doing that lately? I felt my head.

"Um, who are you?" he asked, placing a finger on his lips and tapping them in thought.

"Casey!" I said, shocked. How many times had I been to Paul's office, and he was asking for my name? "Casey McDonald!"

"Um wait I think I saw you a few years ago… You were a new student, right? With a blended family." Paul said, pointing a finger at me matter-of-factly. "Everything seemed to work out fine for you here. You haven't had to see me except for signing up for classes. What's up?"

I stared at my guidance counselor, completely confused. I visited him practically every week for some new, crazy antic that happened at home… that involved Derek. With no Derek, there was no problem. With no Derek, there was no _Paul._

At that moment I realized Derek really wasn't my step-brother in this "new world." There was _no possible way_ Derek would ever be so dedicated to tormenting me this much. He would go to huge lengths to annoy me, but he would have never gotten the whole family, the whole school, _and _Paul in on the joke. Not to mention somehow getting out of the house for two whole days and letting Edwin borrow his room. Derek was clever and cunning, but he wasn't much of a planner. He could never cook up this whole scheme…

So how did Derek Rossler exist, and how did he look exactly like old Derek if he didn't have George and Abby for parents? My head spun. This didn't make any sense.

"Stacy? Stacy? Are you okay?" Paul asked, disturbing my thoughts.

"It's Casey. And I don't think so, but I'm just gonna leave anyway." I pointed to the door, my math book still in hand. "Thanks Paul."

I left the guidance office with an even bigger headache than I had before, which wasn't supposed to happen after talking to Paul. This world was so messed up.


	5. WHAT!

Lunch seemed like it would never come. I needed to see Derek 'Rossler.' I needed to find out what was wrong with me, and if it was really my fault that old Derek was gone. Who was I trying to fool? Of course it was my fault… but how could something so bizarre and fantastical happen to me_, practical_ Casey? I always dreamed of fairy tales, but this was not what I meant. The tic-tock of the clock was about to drive me crazy. Hah! Like I wasn't already crazy.

And then the lunch bell sounded and I launched out of my seat like a rocket, knocking over a few people in the process.

"Sorry. Excuse me. Sorry! MOVE!" I pushed my way past the hoards of students chatting in the hallway. And then I saw my target, chilling at the stairwell.

"Casey!" Derek greeted me with a sincere smile… Ew, how weird was that? "Are you feeling better than you were this morning?"

"Yeah, can we talk?" I asked, pulling him by the sleeve into the cafeteria and taking a seat across from him. "Tell me about your parents."

"It's not like you haven't met them before, Case. You've only been to my house, like, 20 times."

I gave him a quizzical look. "Um, refresh my memory. Do they look anything like you? Same hair? Nose? Anything?"

"No, of course not!" he said, laughing. "You've seen them before. They look nothing like me. Why would they?"

"Why wouldn't they?" I said, leaning forward.

"Did you bump your head and loose half your memory or something?" asked Derek.

"Something like that." I paused. "Help me remember?"

Derek sighed. "I'm adopted, Casey. I've told you once. I didn't think I had to tell you again. My genetic parents gave me up when I was only a baby. I have no idea who they are or what the look like."

Adopted?! And it hit me- _I wish to God you weren't my stepbrother. _I didn't wish him out of existence, I only wished he wasn't my stepbrother. I wished him out of the _family. _Because of me, because of my _stupid_ big mouth, George and Abby gave away their first son. What sort of twisted wish was this? And then another thought crossed my mind. 20 times? I had been to New Derek's house _20 times?_ Were me and new Derek like BFF or something?

Had being raised in a completely different household with different parents who had different morals made New Derek a better person than Old Derek? And if so, did this make me friends with New Derek? It was a freaky thought, and a complicated one at that. I was dizzy for the thousandth time this week.

"Derek, why did I go over to your house so many times?" I asked, grabbing the table to steady myself.

"You can't tell me you forgot about _us _too?" Derek looked hurt, like a lost puppy dog.

"What about _us_, exactly?" I inquired.

"Oh, I don't know? How about the fact that we're boyfriend and girlfriend?" Derek placed his hand on top of mine, smiling.

"WHAT!?" I screamed.


	6. Hand Sanitizer

"No, no! This can't be happening!" I snatched my hand out from under Derek's and proceeded to find the hand sanitizer in my purse. The cafeteria stared at us in awe. "I'm dating you?! And I haven't even told my mom that? Yeah. Hah! Like that would ever happen."

"Case, sweetie, I really think you need to go to the nurse. Did you or did you not hit your head on anything? I mean, we both know you aren't the most poised person." My stomach churned at the word 'sweetie.' Derek looked at me with concern.

"No, I did not hit my head." I said, grabbing the Germ-X and squirting a generous amount out into my hand. "I just- you just- a few days ago you were part of my family, and now you're not." I smacked my hands together and rubbed vigorously.

"What do you mean, 'family?' Case I'm really worried about you. Do you seriously have no idea what's going on?" Derek furrowed his eyebrows.

"No, I really don't. Please. Explain." I threw my hands up in the air in defeat. If I really was dating New Derek, I wanted to know why. And why the heck I hadn't told my mom. "Explain our whole relationship thingy."

"Well-" Derek took in a large breath and began. "When you first moved here to your step-dad's house, I had an immediate attraction to you-"

"Why?" I demanded, my eyes growing wide in horror. Derek had an attraction… to me.

"Obviously you were the most beautiful, intelligent girl in the whole school." Derek smiled gently at me.

I blushed. New Derek wasn't too bad. "Go on." I said, even daring to place my hand back on the table, knowing he might grab it again.

"So we became immediate friends. It was like- BAM- instant chemistry. So you began to tell me about your home life. You told me about your stepdad who never talks to you. You told me about your annoying younger step-brother who plays pranks on your younger sister all the time. But mostly you complained about your mom, who had moved you to a new town, stuck you in an unfamiliar school, and married a man who was completely apathetic to you."

I looked at him, confused. I was mad at Mom? But why? I mean, in my 'old' life I had been mad because of the move at first, but then I got over it… or maybe I hadn't. Maybe all that anger I had for my mom was turned to an easier target... Derek. It was easy to pinpoint him as the vent of all my frustration because he was a little annoying to begin with, and much simpler to be mad at than Mom. But George, apathetic? I mean we hadn't talked a lot in my 'old' life, but he never seemed to not care at all. He had been there for me in tough situations. I realized New Derek had stopped talking in order for me to process what he said. "Okay, I'm ready to hear the rest." I lied.

"So after we got to know each other, we decided that we should go out. But you said you wanted to keep our relationship a secret from your family, because they wouldn't understand. You never tell your mom anything anyway. She probably doesn't even know I exist." Derek sighed. "But then the other day I we were talking and you said you were ready to tell your mom about us. And you also said…" His voice trailed off.

"What? What did I say!?" I asked impatiently.

"Well, babe, I want you to recall what you said on your own." Derek gave a small smile. "It won't be as special if I just tell you. Are any of your memories coming back? Does anything sound familiar?"

I decided to play along, just to make things easier. "You know what, I think some of this does sound familiar. Yes. A lot is coming back to me now." I said, nodding my head theatrically. I hoped I wasn't too cheesy.

Derek seemed to buy it. "Good. Because I don't know what I would do if you forgot about us. I can't live without you, Case."

I turned incredibly hot. And then nothing could have prepared me for what came next. Derek swooped down and planted one on me. A big one. I tensed up at first but then realized I was supposed to like him, so I relaxed and let myself fall in his arms. It lasted quite a while… but it wasn't too bad.

He broke away and smiled again. "What ever happened to your no PDA rule?" I asked, breathless.

"Since when has that been one of my rules?" Derek asked, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the cafeteria as the bell sounded.

This was definitely not the same step-brother Derek I had before.


	7. Talk Over Carrots and Chips

The rest of the day went by like any normal day in my 'old' life, only with a few pecks on the lips from New Derek. It was weird, but even weirder was the fact I was going home to tell my mom that I was dating my would-be stepbrother.

It turned out that Mom was at work when I got home, so I grabbed a bag of carrots and began to munch on them to distract me until she came back.

They didn't help very much. I kept thinking about how life without Derek had altered my universe completely. I was mad at Mom, I had no idea who Paul was, George was apparently apathetic, and it seemed like Edwin had literally filled Derek's shoes. George entered then kitchen suddenly, interrupting my thought process. He took one look at me and turned the other direction to leave.

"Hey George!" I yelled, hoping he would turn around. He did, slowly, and gave a faint wave in my direction.

"Want to come sit with me?" I asked, patting the chair next to mine.

"Carrots aren't really my thing." he said, pointing to the bag full of orange rectangles.

"Then grab something else." I suggested, getting up to look for something a man might like. "How about some chips and dip?" I asked, opening the refrigerator and grabbed the French onion dip.

George shrugged and sauntered over to the stool next to me. He reached for the chips and began to munch on them quietly.

"So, how was your day at work?" I questioned, trying to get a conversation started.

"Since when do we do this, Casey?" he asked, bewildered. I could trace a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I mean, you never talk to me. The only thing you've ever said was hi, and it was on the first day we met. So what's with this whole bonding over food thing about?"

I looked at him, shocked. Who was this person? Certainly not the George I came to know and to love. I mean, I sort of understood why Derek was so different. He was raised by a completely different family. But how could George have changed so much? Did not having a teenage boy really affect him that much?

"Why don't you like me, George?" I demanded.

He sighed, looking down at his feet. "It's not that I don't want to like you, Casey. It's just that…. I'm not used to teenagers. I don't know how to handle them. I always expected them to be rebellious and only come to parents when they wanted something." He looked at me. "I'm sorry, but you're no acceptation to the rule, the way you treat your mother. I know you hated moving, but she thinks you hate her." I stared at George in horror. How could I be so terrible? Who was this new, horrible Casey? Who was I? "So just tell me now." George continued. "What do you want?"

I thought about what he said a little more and then I just decided to come right out with it. What could it hurt? "George, did you have a son, and then give him up for adoption?"

George gaped at me, his expression one of alarm. "How did you- When did you?" His mouth opened and closed like a fish underwater. It would have been rather funny if it wasn't for the whole situation.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to freak?" I said. He nodded, but just barely. I took a deep breath. "I'm dating your son. The one you gave away. Derek. Derek Rossler."

"WHAT!?" George screamed.


	8. Reality

**AN: Thank you for the reviews, all 3 of them. Lol. But really, I do appreciate it. Even if one person reviewed I would keep updating. So please, enjoy the next few chapters. It's almost over. Thanks again! ******

I fell off my chair. "Okay, now George, you said you wouldn't overreact!" I cowered behind the stool as George shot me a terrifying face.

"You're right." He said, settling down a bit. I came out from behind my hiding place. "But what in the WORLD!?" His voice got louder and I ducked back down.

"Please, George! Be rational!" I pleaded. "What if Marti hears you yelling?"

"Okay, okay." George ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. "It's just that… I tried so hard to make sure he never found out about me. I didn't want him to be the adopted kid that goes looking for his long lost parents. I wanted him to be happy where he was. I put him with the best people I knew, people I thought would raise him better than I ever could."

"But why?" I asked, sitting back up and putting my hand on George's shoulder. "Why did you give Derek away?"

"I really don't know." George looked at me, his brow furrowed. "There was just this driving force that told me to give him away, to a family that couldn't have their own children. And somehow, my ex-wife agreed with me."

I looked at the ground, guilty once again. _A driving force._ It was my wish, my stupid wish. I was speechless.

"Just promise not to tell your mom about my… kid." George said seriously. "I never told her about Derek, and I plan to keep it that way."

"But, she would understand." I questioned. "Wouldn't she?"

"I just don't want her to be mad at me for keeping secrets from her. I already lost one wife. I don't want to lose another." he said. "Plus, I like this one a lot better."

I laughed. "You know Mom will have to meet Derek eventually."

George turned his head towards me in alarm. "Why?"

"He's my boyfriend, remember?" That was such a weird thing to say. "But don't worry, nobody needs to know he's your son."

"Alright." said George, letting out a huge breath. "But you two better not end up getting married, because there is no way I'm meeting his parents… again."

I giggled. Me and Derek. Married. Like that would ever happen.

Although with New Derek, I realized it wasn't a far stretch from reality.


	9. Just Shoot Me

So when Mom came home, I told her about my relationship with Derek Rossler. She took it a lot better than I thought she would. She said he should come over for dinner on Friday night so the family could meet him. I think she was just happy that I was actually talking to her. George looked rather nervous during the whole discussion but he participated well and when it was all over we exchanged a high five while Mom wasn't looking.

So the rest of the week went by normally… at least it was normal for this new life. Poor Lizzie was stuck with an irritating Edwin, Old Derek's replacement. He was apparently into torturing and pranking her just as Derek had annoyed me. And unfortunately I felt like there was nothing I could do to help her. She seemed to be holding her own, however, and practiced her soccer skills by kicking balls at Edwin's head.

New Derek was thrilled to hear that I had told my parents about him. So thrilled that he decided to give me a huge kiss in the middle of the hallway. Other than the fact that he liked making out with in numerous public places, and he kept pestering me to see if I remembered what I had told him a few days ago, New Derek was actually a really good guy. He was chivalrous, always opening doors and pulling out chairs for me. He was sweet, bringing me flowers and giving me his hoodie when I was cold. He was understanding, letting me talk about myself and not interrupting. In fact, he was everything I had ever looked for in a boy; he was perfect. But something just didn't feel right. I felt some attraction for New Derek, but it wasn't like- woah.

I was… dare I say, missing Old Derek? Did I miss crude jokes and stupid pranks? Did I really miss meatloaf and shampoo fights and arguing over pointless things? Or that leather jacket that he always wore, or the way he would smirk when I was yelling at him? Or messy hair, hockey games, and glares?

Oh just shoot me. I was missing Derek Venturi. How was that even possible, especially since I had an incredible, kind New Derek standing right in front of me?

But despite the fact that I was missing Old Derek, I dealt with the new life I had, because it really wasn't too bad. And Friday came faster than I anticipated. In fact, I barely remembered what happened the whole week.

I heard the doorbell ring and I knew who it was, but I was wishing it was someone very different, someone who only I knew existed.


	10. Meatloaves and Ficuses

"Hey beautiful!" said Derek as I opened the door to let him in. He kissed me quickly on the lips before taking off his jacket and asking me where he should put it. I pointed to the coat hanger and he smiled.

"George, Mom, Lizzie, Ed, Marti!" I called. "Derek's here!" Mom and George came out of the kitchen, Mom first, with George lagging behind her. Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti came rushing down the stairs.

"So nice to meet you!" said Mom, offering her hand to Derek. He took it in his and shook vigorously.

"The pleasure is all mine!" he said. Mom smiled. I rolled my eyes. After he was done sucking up to Mom, he offered his hand to George. George took it timidly. I could only imagine how weird this was for him, shaking the hand of a son he hadn't seen in 16 years, his son completely unaware.

After the greetings were done, we sat down at the dinner table. Mom got out the dish and placed it on the table. It was… meatloaf. I felt sick to my stomach suddenly and glanced at the ficus, still sitting at the bottom of the stairs. I wondered if the meatloaf from our fight was still in there. Nobody had bothered to pick it up after Mom had thrown it back in there during March break. If it was still there, it was probably decomposed by now… Oh wait, in this new world we never had that fight.

"Casey, would you like some mashed potatoes?" Mom asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah, sure." I said, faking a smile. I went to take the spoon full of potatoes from her hand, but she didn't let go and I must have pressed down to hard and let go too soon, because the spoon acted like a catapult, flinging mashed potatoes right on top of Derek's head.

I began to giggle and then I burst out laughing, unable to keep it in. Mom looked on in shock while the rest of the family stifled their own chuckles. Maybe it was the meatloaf, or the ficus, but for some strange reason I was in the mood for a food fight. So I took a scoop of potatoes from Derek's head and I flicked them at Marti. She squealed in delight and grabbed a handful of her own, dumping it in George's lap. George looked angered at first and then took the potatoes from his lap and chucked them at Edwin, making sure to take the rest and wipe it on Marti's nose. Edwin then, of course, felt it was a necessity to dump potatoes down Lizzie's shirt. And then the rest was history. All chaos broke loose and even Mom joined in the food fight. Everyone was having a great time. Everyone, except Derek.

He got up from the table, backing away as I went to throw some more at him. I looked at him, upset that he wasn't participating like Old Derek would have. I wanted him to suddenly smirk and pull out a secret stash of mashed potatoes from within his pocket and throw them at me as hard as he could. I wanted to yell "De-reck!" and chase him up the stairs, him laughing and me secretly smiling on the inside. But that would never happen, not ever again.

Everyone stopped messing around and turned to face Derek. "Oh my goodness!" said Mom. "I'm so sorry! We just got out of hand!"

"No offence, but if this is what you guys do often, then I'm not sure I want to be a part of it." said Derek. "I'm really sorry. See you at school Casey."

He turned to the door and went to get his coat. I sank to the floor and began to sob. Not because I had just lost New Derek, but because I had lost Old Derek. What had I done? I wished I could take it all back. I wished that I had never told Derek I hated him.

"I miss Old Derek!" I screamed. Everyone turned to face me, looking at me as though I was insane. Maybe I was going insane. I didn't care anymore. I would do anything to get Old Derek back, including screaming to no one in particular. "I miss everything about him, even how he went out of his way to make my life miserable!"

New Derek stared at me in shock. "Are you okay? What are you-"

"Because the truth is, my life is miserable without him!" I interrupted him. "I miss him so much." I took in a great shuddering breath and then shouted as loud as I could. "I wish Derek Venturi was my stepbrother again!"


	11. Not Too Bad

**AN: The last chapter!!!!!! Thank you everyone who reviewed! I hope you likee! **

"Why is she crying?"

"I don't know. My poor baby, muttering things in her sleep, yelling, tossing and turning… Oh, I hope she wakes up soon!"

"Me too."

"You know, if you guys hadn't have been fighting like usual- Oh look! She's opening her eyes! Maybe she'll finally wake up this time!"

I squinted, opening my eyes to the light. My head was throbbing and my eyes were wet. There were two blurry objects before me.

"Where am I? What happened?" I asked.

"Oh Casey! You're awake! Oh thank God!" I recognized my mom's voice, and I felt her hand touch my arm tenderly. The two objects became a bit clearer and I could make out the figures of Derek and Mom. I also realized that I was in a hospital.

Derek…

"Derek, say something!" I said, going to sit up only to have Mom's arms press me back down to the bed I was in. She didn't really need to, though, because I felt so dizzy I wanted to lay back down anyway. "Say something insulting!"

"Casey, what?" said Mom, but before she could go any further Derek cut her off.

"Nice job hitting your head on my door Klutzillla." he said, smirking.

I smiled hugely, clapping my hands together in delight. Could it be? Was my old, insulting Derek back? "Ooh, do another one!" I said.

"The only reason I'm glad ya didn't die was because I would have to live with the last words 'I hate you' for the rest of my life!"

This time I didn't laugh. My face fell. He was back; my wish had brought Derek back to the rotten stepbrother he was. But as much as he was rotten, I didn't hate him. I never, ever meant to say those stupid words, the words that started everything.

"I don't hate you Derek." I said, trying to stifle the tears I knew were coming. I knew how much he hated tears.

"I'll just step outside for a bit." Mom got up, giving me a pat on the hand and leaving. I wish she wouldn't. I didn't know what else to say. The silence was long and awkward.

"I know." said Derek finally.

"What?" I asked.

"I know you don't hate me." He smirked, putting a hand to his heart and mockingly crying. "It just hurt a lot."

I smacked him playfully. "Shut up. You have no idea what I've been through."

"Yeah, I do." he said, raising his eyebrows. "You tripped on some of my hockey gear while you were storming angrily out of my room, hit your head on the door frame and passed out, and had been hallucinating until you woke up."

Wow. He actually did know. Sort of. "And you weren't concerned in the least? You only cared about the guilt you'd have to live with if I died?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who said 'I hate you.'" I frowned at his words. _Why_ did he make me feel so horrible? He studied my face and then took a deep breath. "Of course not." he said. "I was a little worried, and scared that my stepsis was gonna die, to tell you the truth. And you kept saying my name in your sleep… It was… hard."

I blushed. So he did care. I put my hand on his. He looked at me, confused, but then his gaze softened and his face twisted into a strange expression… was it- a smile? A genuine smile? I felt the tears coming and this time I didn't try to hold them back. I had my stepbrother back, and it was the most glorious feeling in the world. I lifted myself up slowly, and put my arms around Derek's neck, hugging him close and crying into his chest. And to my surprise, he didn't pull back. Instead, he placed his arms around my waist and held me.

And it felt so right. For once, something felt right. Some boy felt right. And I knew what phrase New Derek was trying to hassle out of me the whole time I was knocked out. _I love you_.

Finally, I pulled away, tears still streaming down my face. Derek looked phased, red, and almost like he'd been crying, but no. Derek never cried. He got up from the hospital bed and looked at me, glaring. "Don't ever, EVER tell anyone I hugged my stepsister, got it?"

I smiled, nodding my head very slightly so I wouldn't be dizzy again. "Got it." I said.

"Good." he said, turning around and walking towards the door. But I heard him mutter something before he left. "Because it wasn't too bad."

THE END!

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**I don't know if it's humanly possible for someone to be knocked out and have a dream like that for so long, but we're gonna go with it anyway! Lol! Hope you liked it! Have a great Holiday!**


	12. AN

**AN: I have started writing a sequel to this story and the newest chapter is up. I plan on updating regularly so be sure to check back often. Thank you to everyone who suggested a sequel and everyone who reviewed this story! I love you guys!**

**A little info about the sequel: Takes place after graduation, and involves some Truman. But don't worry… he will get what's coming to him. **

**Summary: Truman offers to drive Casey to college and she agrees. They get stranded in the middle of nowhere. What will Derek do when Casey doesn't show up to the campus? **

**Title: Kicked to the Curb**

**THANKS AGAIN YOU GUYS!!!!!**


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